2015 Messerschmitt Bf 109 Group Build

Thanks a lot guys! Doug, nice work on the F so far. I  always heard the 21st Century 109s were actually pretty good, and certainly a real value. At one time you could pick those up for under $10. In fact I do have a G-14 in the stash I will have to take a look at. Filling the plugs for the screw holes won't be much of an issue for a man like yourself.

Jay

Outstanding work, Jay! Really smooth finish on the paint, for sure!

Bish. Yes, Airfix does have a little motor for their 1/24. They are less than 10 dollars (3.49 pounds) When I ever get around to the Tiffy, I plan on using one for that.

Greg. Thanks. I thought folks could use that link. It includes a lot of useful info. Things I had not been able to find before.

Great work on the fabrication of that antenna Jay!

Rigidrider

Jay................your paint work is top notch!

Jay, I'll second that. Beautiful!

LOLOL... I'll bet you can make an absolute butt load of antennas from an old soda can! Great idea! For years I've been using an old tin pan cover (lasagna tray) that was about 12x18 in and have barely put a dent in it. Lolol... shes going to be a beauty Jay, and again, your paint work is top notch!

Didn't get a lot done this weekend, but the fiddly bits always seem to take forever. Did get the antenna made from a Mountain Dew can that I have been using for many years, installed the gun barrels, painted and weathered the canopy and a few other little things. Not too much left to do.

Jay

Thanks jack. Ye, that would be neat. I think I am right in saying that Airfix does a motor for their large 24th scale kits.

Bish - great job  on the Daimler engine.

Showcased on the stand like that reminds me a lot of those 1/4 scale car engine kits that had clear parts and worked on a battery - imagine it would be cool to see some aircraft kits similar to that.

regards,

Jack

Doug, now I get it. Thanks! and don't ever apologize for being long-winded. Takes some words to convey things.

That's a neat procedure the your second paragraph. Definitely want to try that one.

Thanks Joe. And don't worry about that, I certainly have. Hopefully will be ready to start in August, will give me a good 4 months, should be long enough.

Just got your pic posted in the intro Bish!!! Hope you've got another one in you pal!!

You got it Greg! What I try to do is kinda like I was saying, I mix about a 50/50 mix of paint to thinner, in my case MM acrylic 66 to either lacquer thinner or iso alcohol, due to the fast drying time. This makes the mix thin and just by getting some mix on a brush and touching to a few areas on the IP, will cause it to run in between the gauges without getting on the bezels. Reapply as needed due to the fast drying time(when thinning like I did). Thats all there is to it.

Another thing I like to do at times is if kit has a nice IP with kit, I drill gauge faces out so as to leave the bezel, I then cut a thin sheet of plastic and shape to the IP, place behind the drilled out IP, lightly spray with IP color, remove the shaped plastic from behind, and now you have a marked piece showing where to place your AirScale gauge decals. Apply the AirScale decals, when dry , coat with pledge floor care, caution... AirScale decals dont stick well so when applying pledge be gentle until dried. Replcae behind the drilled out IP and you have a nice looking IP.

Hope that helps and isn't too long winded!

Take care Greg...

Doug, Bish, thanks for elaborating.

I was aware of the blueish color of Eduard PE panels, having done 3 of them now. My question was rather vague, sorry. I kinda guessed you planned to touch up over the off-color blue, but not clear on how to do that whilst staying away from the instrument faces and other stuff (as Bish pretty much alluded to).

I didn't realize that all Luftwaffe panels were RLM 66 though, thanks for that!

If your touch up technique works, and you train me , I buy you lunch on my next trip down I75, bro.

Tom, a redundant thank you for that link (also replied in the stand-alone thread). Very useful indeed.

Be interested to see how that goes Doug. I have not altered the colour for fear of messing it up, be good to see if it works. The colour Eduard use is I think to blue. I have tried to stick to none coloured PE, but I think I have a pre coloured one for my 32nd build and may need to correct it.

Greg... Bish put it very accurately,  the Eduards Instrument Panel pieces  (IMO) in my opinion, look great when applied and just a drop or so of pledge floor finish in each gauge makes for a convincing looking gauge glass, however the blue finish is nowhere near the color used by the RLM for IPs. So again (I'm sorry I didnt elaborate) as Bish stated, I'm going to mix a weak (perhaps 50/50 mix) of RLM 66 ( dunkle grau) paint and try to flow it on the IP without getting on bezels and such. Hope that helps to explain ... take care...

Doug

Joe, thanks. It really wasn't that much to finish up, just getting the wiring in place and bending all the pipework in the right place. I will leave it up to you as to the pic. And thanks for another great GB. Of course I am not finished yet, I am itching to get the next one started, but am going to restrain myself.

Bish: That engine looks fantastic!!! You finished this up relatively quick given the level of detail that's there. That looks like a great kit to build in the future. You got any preference on which pic you would like to see in the intro post?

Doug: Man that detail is great on that cockpit! I don't think I've ever seen a 21st Century kit before!

Thanks a lot guys, coming from this bunch, that means a lot.

Mike, give it a shot. last time I checked Sprue Brothers, they sold the DB 605 and the Packard. But they did not sell the stands. If you buy direct, and I know the postage would be higher, but the service from HPH is I found second to none, I can't rate them highly enough.

Doug, nice start on this. The only time I have come across one of their kits was the Merit 88m gun I built last year which had 21st century toys stamped on the bottom, but I had never heard of them before.

Greg, there is an issue with the colour of Eduard PE for German cockpits. When Doug says needs going over with some 66, he means RLM 66, the colour of German aircraft panels.

I found this interesting article regarding WWII Luftwaffe paint schemes.

www.warhistoryonline.com/.../luftwaffe-camouflage-colors-and-patterns.html

Doug, that looks interesting. Never heard of that manufacturer. Coming along nicely.

Could you explain the following excerpt from your post above, please?.....

>>>>The Eduard PE set for the IP looks good but as always, (IMO) needs to be gone over with a finish of 66. And it will...

Bish

The stand come from the same company but you have to buy it separately. Be a bt awkward to display it without a stand like this, though I am sure those more skilled than me could make there own. The brass nameplate does come with the kit.

This is the page on the HPH site where they have the 3 engines they do and the stand.

www.prodejonline.cz/.../k.02I.models-118.html

Ahah. Thanks for the info and the link, Bish.

Bish

Manage to get the engine finished off today

Bish, the engine really looks great! I like that a lot. Very well done indeed.

Jay

Yes sir... so far no complaints at all with the fit and engineering of the kit, there is virtually no flash, or burrs and very little in the way of pin marks. I'm impressed but do wish the mold was more accurate. As I said this more seems like a "G" fuselage then an "F".

Take care

Doug

Thanks Doug and Greg, they're certainly a handful. I'm hoping to production-line three identical Fw 190 F-8s at some point (Priller, Barr and Dortenmann) so it's good practice.

Bish, that's some engine display! Very inspirational! I'm certainly tempted to give it a shot myself... I can imagine what a Merlin would look like in a Mustang cowling...

Roug, I've seen one of these 21Cs go together before and they come out very well, this'll be interesting to observe.

M/TB379

OK, I finally got to start my next 109. Again, it will be the personal mount of Hauptmann Kurt Brandel of Jg53, Cosimo/Sicily 1941. This will be his Bf109 F-4

This will be a 21st Century kit, in 1/32nd scale. I've never built one of these and there a bit odd. All parts are cut from the sprue and sealed in plastic bags, and it kinda looks like the cross between a glue, screw, snap fit kit. It has a lot of well defined surface details even though in actual size, I fear the fuselage panel gaps would be about a quarter inch of separation by the looks of it. Also it states that its an F2-4 configuration, but the fuel fill is in the wrong area as are other access covers on the starboard side. Later you will likely see the plugs to cover the screws on the fuse side, and they will require putty and smoothing.

The Eduard PE set for the IP looks good but as always, (IMO) needs to be gone over with a finish of 66. And it will...

The rest of the pit coming together.

And the fuse halves joined, no I didn't use screws, I used good ole liquid glue.

In this picture you can see the plugs that were to cover the screws,,, they will require filling and sanding. That's all for now, Thanks

Doug

Bish... That's great! I've been looking forward to the final results. Very nice, and truly representative of this build and the amazing aircraft it goes in.

Doug

The stand come from the same company but you have to buy it separately. Be a bt awkward to display it without a stand like this, though I am sure those more skilled than me could make there own. The brass nameplate does come with the kit.

This is the page on the HPH site where they have the 3 engines they do and the stand.

www.prodejonline.cz/.../k.02I.models-118.html

Did the stand come with the kit or did you build it? Very attractive stand.

Thanks Greg. That progress has been spread out over the last 4 months, can't believe I have been at it that long, or its that far into the year already. My updates have been rather patchy, so easy to miss.

Mike, you have a whole squadron going on there! Looking good.

Bish, that engine is pretty awesome. I like you choice of leaving it pretty much factory fresh.

Wish I'd have been paying better attention and watching it go together.